People v. Correa

614 N.E.2d 1246, 244 Ill. App. 3d 307, 185 Ill. Dec. 561, 1993 Ill. App. LEXIS 445
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMarch 31, 1993
Docket1-91-3422
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 614 N.E.2d 1246 (People v. Correa) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Correa, 614 N.E.2d 1246, 244 Ill. App. 3d 307, 185 Ill. Dec. 561, 1993 Ill. App. LEXIS 445 (Ill. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinions

JUSTICE COUSINS

delivered the opinion of the court:

The State appeals from the trial court’s dismissal of the four-count indictment against defendant Jose Correa bn double jeopardy grounds. According to the State, the order of dismissal was erroneous, defendant should have been barred from raising double jeopardy, and the trial court erred in accepting defendant’s guilty plea to the traffic charges.

On June 24, 1989, around 5:30 p.m., defendant was driving a Ford Ranger near 6300 West North Avenue in Chicago, when he struck Peter Caracci. Caracci died of multiple internal injuries. An open alcohol container was recovered from defendant’s truck, and defendant failed a sobriety test. Four citations were issued at the accident site: driving across the median, driving under the influence of alcohol, possession of alcohol by a motorist and operation of a vehicle without due caution. Ill. Rev. Stat. 1989, ch. 95V2, pars. ll-708(d), 11-501, 11-502; Chicago Municipal Code §27—255 (1984).

Subsequently, defendant was indicted for reckless homicide and driving under the influence of alcohol. The two counts of reckless homicide charged defendant with striking the victim while defendant’s blood-alcohol level was above .10, and driving under the influence of alcohol and at an excessive rate of speed. The case was assigned, and on December 8, 1989, defendant consented to a plea conference in the criminal division of the circuit court of Cook County. Nothing, however, then occurred.

On January 16, 1991, defendant was arrested and held in custody overnight. The following morning he appeared in traffic court, and the following colloquy occurred:

“[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Judge, my name is John Egan on behalf of defendant, Jose Correa. I have not seen the old file, driving under the influence at 6232 West North Avenue.
THE COURT: It’s North — yeah, this is it. It’s a — driving under the influence, which is a misdemeanor, and then he has some petty offenses, such as, open alcohol, negligent driving; that’s striking a pedestrian; and 11 — 708, going the wrong way down a one-way roadway; and striking the traffic island.
[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Would you — if he state’s [sic\ he’s prepared to plead guilty — we’re prepared to enter a guilty plea.
[ASSISTANT STATE’S ATTORNEY]: Your Honor, does the record indicate that he struck a pedestrian?
THE COURT: Yeah.
[ASSISTANT STATE’S ATTORNEY]: Is there any indication of how seriously injured the pedestrian was?
THE COURT: No.
[ASSISTANT STATE’S ATTORNEY]: I don’t think we’d be willing to accept the plea at this time.
THE COURT: But he has a right to plead guilty any time he wants to, Harry. I can’t stop him from pleading guilty.
[ASSISTANT STATE’S ATTORNEY]: Okay.”

The trial court asked if defense counsel wanted a continuance for sentencing, and counsel replied that defendant could be sentenced immediately. The trial court then questioned defendant concerning the four citations and accepted defendant’s plea. The court sentenced defendant to one year’s conditional discharge and imposed a $500 fine.

On March 14, 1991, defendant filed a motion to dismiss the four-count indictment on double jeopardy grounds. At the hearing on defendant’s motion, Assistant State’s Attorneys Kathy Hanlon and Edward Snow testified that they participated in the plea conference in defendant’s case, and the trial court indicated that defendant would receive a penitentiary term upon a plea. Snow further testified he was led to believe by defense counsel and the court that no other charges arising from the traffic fatality were pending against defendant.

The trial court granted defendant’s motion, finding that the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Grady v. Corbin (1990), 495 U.S. 508, 109 L. Ed. 2d 548,110 S. Ct. 2084, required such a result.

Initially, the State contends that the trial court erred in granting defendant’s motion to dismiss because there was no indication that the State would need to prove conduct in the reckless homicide trial for which defendant had been prosecuted. Under the test set forth in Grady, a successive prosecution is barred on double jeopardy grounds if “to establish an essential element of an offense charged in that prosecution, [the State] will prove conduct that constitutes an offense for which the defendant has already been prosecuted.” (Grady v. Corbin, 495 U.S. at 521, 109 L. Ed. 2d at 564, 110 S. Ct. at 2093.) The State contends that the trial court erred in granting defendant’s motion because conduct other than that for which defendant was convicted could have been utilized as an essential element of the reckless homicide charge.

In the instant case, the indictment charged defendant with one count of reckless homicide based upon striking a pedestrian while defendant’s blood-alcohol content was greater than .10, and the second count of reckless homicide charged defendant with driving under the influence of alcohol at an excessive speed and striking the victim. Defendant pleaded guilty to four traffic citations, specifically for driving across the median, driving while under the influence of alcohol, possession of alcohol by a motorist and negligent driving by striking a pedestrian. While the State contends that it need not rely on conduct for which defendant has been convicted to establish reckless homicide, our review of the indictment and defendant’s previous convictions reveals that the State must rely upon conduct for which defendant was previously convicted in order to conform to the offenses charged in the indictment.

In the instant case, defendant set forth evidence indicating that the indictment for reckless homicide presents charges for which he was previously placed in jeopardy. Once defendant presents a nonfrivolous showing on this issue, the State has the burden of demonstrating that the charged offenses are separate and distinct from the previously prosecuted offenses. (People v. Stefan (1992), 146 Ill. 2d 324, 341, 586 N.E.2d 1239, citing Corbin, 495 U.S. at 522 n.14, 109 L. Ed. 2d at 565 n.14, 110 S. Ct. at 2094 n.14.) The State did not meet this burden, and the indictment was properly dismissed on double jeopardy grounds.

The State further asserts that defendant should be barred from raising double jeopardy based upon defense counsel’s failure to inform the court of the death of the victim and the pending felony charges. In support of this contention, the State cites Semmens v. Semmens (1979), 77 Ill. App. 3d 936, 396 N.E.2d 1282, for the proposition that attorneys must be honest and forthright in their course of conduct with the court.

Semmens is clearly distinguishable from the instant case. In Semmens counsel submitted a settlement agreement in a divorce action without informing the court that there was an addendum to the agreement.

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Related

People v. Correa
623 N.E.2d 268 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1993)
People v. Correa
614 N.E.2d 1246 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1993)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
614 N.E.2d 1246, 244 Ill. App. 3d 307, 185 Ill. Dec. 561, 1993 Ill. App. LEXIS 445, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-correa-illappct-1993.